Tips for encouraging puppy to be DC's dog and introducing to resident dog.

[kittybloom]

Gratefully looking for guidance on two points, please.

We are looking to get our 13yr DC a puppy. Probably a King Charles Cavalier and going via breeder puppy route. We are experienced dog owners but not with that breed. Currently we have a frenchie x staffie type rescue (approx 5-6 yrs) who is probably more my dog that others in the family but tbh is a rock solid family dog who is happy with anyone. However, this second dog would be a companion dog for DC who has some mobility needs and has a lot to cope with from a medical perspective. DC needs some joy in their life! My worry is that initially in puppy days, it'll be DH and me who have to lead on lot of the feeding etc to ensure puppy is kept safe, in particular as we will be introducing to resident dog. Plus, DC will be at school during the day so puppy will mainly be with DH or me during school hours. How do I help to encourage that puppy recognises DC as their lead companion? It would be such a shame if they defaulted to another family member. We don't have dogs upstairs so can't say they can share DC bedroom or similar. I'm guessing DC helps with food and leads on training and play? Any tips?

Also, any ideas for introducing the puppy to our resident dog? Although a rescue, she has no aggression or anxiety and is fine with other dogs. Generally more submissive in the pack. However, as a staffie cross (and probably with a bit of boxer, tricky to tell), she is pretty strong but also clumsy and I'm a bit worried she could hurt the puppy by accident. How do I stop her feeling miffed? Do we feed separately? My initial thought is that I will crate train puppy and then can feed puppy in crate and also keep puppy in there at night so safe.

TIA

Thank you - this is exactly the reason why. I follow Many Tears on insta but realistically it won't be right for us on this occasion. The most I would consider is small breed specific rescue such as the one listed about but it will be a long shot.

Rooster on the bliss website looks like a bit of a catch ❤️❤️❤️

I wouldn't have a cavalier as the general health of the breed is screwed, they die young of heart disease or have a painful miserable life with CM/SM, I lost a Cav x to heart disease he was fairly young and it was utterly heartbreaking, Norway has banned the breeding of them due to it violating their animal welfare laws. Cairn Terriers can be fun and less terrier like, I also would choose a boy to go with your current bitch, as one of each seems to work well normally.

Get your son to feed & play with the puppy?

My fave dog is the KCC but please read up on their health issues. A lot get diagnosed with chiari malformation & heart issues.

Have a look on FB at Bliss Cavalier rescue, there’s lots of young dogs on there with the listed health issues.

Fortunately there are very good and effective treatments for these now

There really isn't, being told your 9 year old dog is a ticking time bomb and that the sac around his heart is paper thin as so enlarged that it could pop at any moment and it will not be a good death is utterly destroying, there should be no need for good or effective treatment as they shouldn't be bred.

We've now reserved a King Charles Cavalier. There was some great stuff on this thread which helped me decide that male pup would be better for our resident dog and some tips to help a family dog have a connection with DC. That was the purpose of my original post.

That's good to hear. I'm glad some of the replies you got here were helpful and I hope everything goes well with your new addition to the family.

We have just had very similar - dd with physical issues, has had a bit of a terrible time of it and we got a pup with an existing older rescue dog (part staff)! Dd feeds her as much as possible, and we both went along to the puppy training class so she does training, playing and provides lots of treats. In our case the pup, now 6mo, also sleeps with dd. So far pup does seem to be bonded with dd. Looks for her when she goes out, runs to sit with her for a cuddle. As pp have said it’s really making the dc valuable to the dog but there are no guarantees.

With the older dog, make sure she has her own space and supervise all interactions. Ours has turned out to be quite maternal towards the pup including telling other dogs off in the park if they are too boisterous around the pup.

Good luck with it!

This sounds very similar to my situation! Weirdly reassuring to know I’m not alone.

Good luck to you and good tip to give our dog the space she needs.